Much's Silver Lotus Blossom Necklace
by muchbeddled
Summary: How Much came by his silver lotus blossom necklace. A stand alone story, or a missing chapter from You Must Have Had Suitors.


Not yet noon on Friday morning, and already hot! Unbelievable! It was revolting!

Worse than revolting...it was hotter than blazes! So hot, the sun scorched your skin and made you wet when you hadn't even been near water! So hot, droplets beaded on your forehead and dribbled down to your eyebrows and fell with a splash onto your shoulders!

Much hated hot...the overbearing, all encompassing, all engulfing heat of Acre. Still, it was good to be alive, even in this god forsaken land of sand and weird giant spiders who bit in the night. Good to have survived yesterday's frightful, horrible battle!

Much thought it odd he should think of the Holy Land being "god forsaken." After all, wasn't this where God had lived and breathed and walked? Curious...if Much were God, he would have come to England instead...in the springtime, when the world was lush and green and verdant. Yes, God would have liked that...very much. But then again, it might have been hard to leave. Of course, it would have been hard to leave anyway...especially in that way. Much was glad he had not been asked to do it.

He walked a few steps behind Robin through Acre's marketplace, watching his beloved master acting charming to Rachel, the pretty young Jewess he met here once a week. Well, why not? If she helped Robin forget Marian, at least for a few hours a week, then Much was glad. Marian had certainly forgotten Robin, after all! They had heard she had faithlessly married Martin of Aylesbury, yet Much couldn't picture Marian being an obediant and docile wife to that fool! Aylesbury was paying the price, Much was sure!

Still, Robin needed to forget, and Rachel was a pleasant woman to forget with. She was pretty, even resembling Marian to a small degree, though with dark eyes, and certainly lacking Marian's deep, true beauty. But she was nice and calm and never argued with Robin, the way Marian did. And she was clearly smitten...more smitten than Robin knew! His master had better tread carefully, for Much knew Robin's kind caring heart would not want to hurt her, yet she was heading for heartbreak, if Much read her obvious devotion to his master correctly.

When a pair of small Saracen boys raced past, Much jumped. Robin turned to him, laughing.

"Yesterday you faced an army of Saladin's fiercest warriors, and today you jump at a pair of boys! Don't tell me you've lost your nerve."

Pulling himself up to his full height, Much flicked a particle of sand from the end of his sleeve and explained, "It's all very well for you! You happen to enjoy battle!"

"I don't!"

"Please! Some of us with more sense can't help but jump at any sudden surprise, after nearly being killed twenty times over yesterday!"

Robin continued grinning. Rachel couldn't take her eyes off him.

"I wonder whether we scared the returning Crusaders, dashing through Nottingham's market when we were boys," he mused.

Much had never thought of that.

"If we had, then I'm sure this is our punishment."

Much didn't notice Robin wince.

Robin felt guilty and responsible for bringing Much to this hell. And Much was wrong...he hated battle now, even more than his friend hated it. On more than one occassion he had offered to pay for Much's passage home, but his loyal servant refused to leave his side, just as Robin refused to leave King Richard.

Robin felt Rachel gently squeeze his arm, bringing him back to the present. He smiled down at her.

He was glad to see her again today. She was a good friend...well, more than a friend. Not much more...her upbringing and his heart wouldn't let them do more than steal a few kisses. But it was enough. He didn't crave anything else from her.

He was interested in her culture, and moved by her plight of being discriminated against as a Jew. Life was hard for Jews, and Robin did all he could to help her. He wished he could do more, but her father didn't even know of his existence, and Robin respected Rachel's pleas not to tell him.

Much's talk of "punishment" reminded him he would suffer his own later today, and be flooded with memories of Marian. No matter how hard he tried to forget, he was haunted by memories of the woman he... He stopped his thoughts. She was married to someone else now. He had no right to think of her. Still, after spending time with Rachel today, no matter how pleasant the time would be, he knew he would be tortured with longing for someone else tonight.

When would he ever stop hurting? How long was his unanswered yearning expected to last?

Fighting back his pain, he smiled down at Rachel.

"So," he began cheerfully, masking his loneliness, "what do you suggest we do to help Much?"

Rachel didn't know how to answer. The beauty of his smile and his eyes nearly made her dizzy. She so wanted to please him!

"What do you mean?"

"Much needs something to help him feel protected in battle. What do you think we should get him?"

Rachel looked around at all the varied wares for sale in the market stalls. "Doesn't he already use a shield?"

"He does. But I'm talking about a symbol...not something real. Symbols can be more powerful than weapons sometimes."

Rachel turned her eyes back to his face. She hoped the time would move slowly, so she could relish every moment with him!

She had once been poked by a long sharp tooth he wore strung around his neck, when he had held her close and kissed her. It gave her an idea.

"You could let him wear the tooth around your neck," she suggested.

He shook his head. "My tiger tooth? I don't think so. I killed that beast. Besides, wearing it doesn't bring protection in battle! It's supposed to serve as a cure for a..."

His voice trailed off. He didn't want to explain he had once been told wearing it would cure a broken heart. Besides, it hadn't worked. His heart still ached.

He forced himself to smile. "You have given me an idea, however! Much!"

Much scurried to Robin. "Yes, Master?"

"Why don't you pick out a crucifix you can wear around your neck, to protect you when we go to battle? Pick one out, and I'll buy it for you."

"Master!"

Much was excited. What a wonderful idea! His eyes scanned the many crucifixes for sale. So many choices!

On second thought, though, Much began to grow uneasy. "Master?" he spoke tenatively.

"What is it, Much?"

"Um...I was just thinking...what if God doesn't like me wearing a crucifix?"

"What do you mean, Much?"

"I mean...look at Rachel here! She doesn't wear a crucifix!"

Robin grinned apologetically at her, and turned to address Much.

"That's because she's not Christian."

"I know! I know! So, how do we know God is a Christian?"

Robin grinned. "Well, you have a point. According to the Bible, Jesus was Jewish."

"You see! You see! I knew it! I knew I shouldn't wear a crucifix!"

"Don't tell me you want me to buy you a Star of David!"

"A what?" Much asked.

Rachel showed him the silver Star of David she wore around her neck. "This is one of the symbols of my faith," she explained.

Much considered. Should he wear one of those? What if God was Jewish, after all? He would approve of Much wearing it, and protect him in battle, wouldn't He? But what if He wasn't Jewish? What if God was Christian? Wouldn't He be angry at Much for not wearing a crucifix? Oh! It was all so complicated! Much hated this!

"You shouldn't wear a Star of David unless you're Jewish, Much," Robin explained, noticing Much struggling with his dilemna. "You're not Jewish now, are you?"

"Jewish? Me? Of course not! Unbelieveable! I'm Christian, Robin, same as you. Not that there's anything wrong with being Jewish," he hastened to explain to Rachel.

"Alright," Robin decided, "I'll buy you a crucifix."

"No!" Much was firm in his fear. "I can't risk it!"

"So, what do you want me to buy you?"

Much thought and thought. There were so many Saracens milling about. They couldn't all be wrong, could they? What if God was a Muslim? That would put a further spin on things!

"I don't know! I hate this!"

Robin gave Rachel a little grin, unknowingly causing her heart to flutter wildly. "What about this?" he asked, picking up another necklace by its silver chain.

"What's that one?" Much asked.

It was pretty. It looked like some sort of flower or plant...all nice and symmetrical.

"I think it's a lotus blossom, from Egypt," Robin answered. "The lotus blooms on the top of a body of water. Its roots are buried deep beneath the mud, but it's a beautiful flower."

Much liked that. "I like the lotus!" he cried at last. "The lotus is my friend! The lotus understands me!"

Rachel appeared confused. "I don't understand," she said.

Robin was already paying for the necklace. "That's alright," he said, handing Much his new necklace. "Much and I do."

...

**(Note: This is a lost chapter from my story You Must Have Had Suitors, set preseries. Marian is not actually married...Robin and Much had mistakenly heard she was.)**


End file.
